Illegal economies—such as illegal gold mining, drug trafficking, illegal logging, land trafficking, and human trafficking—present in the Peruvian Amazon were the focus of a workshop held on September 28, titled “Beyond Crime: How to Address the Future of the Amazon Through Its Socioeconomic Conditions?” The event prompted potential solutions, including the promotion of family farming, territorial protection, and the integration of local knowledge.
Organized by the Center for Sociological, Economic, Political, and Anthropological Research (CISEPA) and the Research Group on State and Society (GIES) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), the event shed light on how land conflicts and a lack of public services sustain these issues.
According to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), illegal economies in the Peruvian Amazon have generated approximately USD 199.9 billion within the country between 2015 and 2025. These activities affect the Amazonian regions of Madre de Dios, Loreto, Ucayali, and Huánuco, as well as border areas with Brazil and Colombia.
Dr. Maritza Paredes, a researcher with GIES and the PUCP’s Department of Social Sciences, noted that the expansion of “extractive frontiers”—driven by road construction and agricultural promotion—is outpacing both regulation and the granting of communal land titles. Furthermore, she highlighted the existence of a “gray zone” where no authority takes responsibility for ongoing events, which makes it significantly easier for illegal activities to persist in these areas. For his part, Apu Julio Cusurichi—a board member of the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP)—called for recognition of the territorial protection efforts carried out by native communities, as well as for oversight to ensure the survival of peoples living in isolation; “that goes unseen,” he noted.
Details on the event can be found at the following link: https://puntoedu.pucp.edu.pe/investigaciones/amazonia-proponen-agricultura-familiar-proteccion-territorial-y-uso-de-saberes-locales-para-combatir-economias-ilegales/